What is a dry fly?

If you're new to fly fishing, you may be wondering what a dry fly is and how it's used. A dry fly is a type of fly that's designed to be fished on the surface of the water. It's used to imitate emerging insects, particularly mayflies. These insects have to break through the surface tension of the water, which they do by wriggling their way out. For this reason, dry flies are also sometimes called "floats."

Dry flies are often thought of as "topwater" baits and are associated with techniques such as popping, walking, and skittering. Some popular types of dry flies include the Adams Parachute, Blue Winged Olive, Trude Red Neck, Royal Wulff, Black Wulff, and Elk Hair Caddis.

Dry fly fishing is exciting because the dry fly is usually the most natural and visible to fish, especially trout. The dry fly floats on top of the water, making it easy for fish to see it. Some flies are meant to imitate emerging insects that have just broken through the surface tension of the water. Mayflies are among the most common insects imitated by dry flies.

It's important to know that there are different types of flies used for different situations. In particular, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the different kinds of flies used to imitate emerging insects, a process known as "emerger" or "emergence." If you're fishing and happen upon a large cloud or swarm of mayflies, your best bet is probably going to be using a dry fly.

So if you're looking to try dry fly fishing, consider picking up some dry flies and trying your hand at this exciting technique.